Category: events (page 1 of 3)

A group of Researchers from the MMU Department of Psychology are recruiting participants for an interview study looking at the way gamers interact with video game avatars that resemble themselves.

Digital self-representations entered the mainstream with the release of the Wii in 2006. Consumers were able to quickly create quirky avatars that resembled them and then use these as in game characters. The success of this feature prompted many other developers to include digital self-representations in their products.read more

On the 21st June, the Games Research Network hosted its first annual symposium, Multiplatform 2017, in Manchester. We were joined by academics from universities across the UK, and beyond, to discuss research into games and gaming, in both the digital and analogue formats. The symposium began with a Key Note address from Professor Paul Booth, who joined us from DePaul University, Chicago, and included presentations on the lack of research into modern tabletop games, the role of games as a paratext, and a consideration of the ethics of gameplay.read more

From the 7 — 10 August 2017, our colleagues at The Manchester School of Art will be blurring the boundaries between digital and physical making, this Summer School will allow students to develop skills in researching, translating ideas, and using RaspberryPi. Students will develop new and exciting surfaces for ceramic ware by translating traditional ceramic scenes into innovative modern depictions, utilising Manchester School of Art’s specialist workshops and equipment.read more

The Future of Esports: Challenging Work and Gender Issues in the UK’s Professional Computer Gaming Industry

‘Esports’ or electronic sports is the umbrella term for organised, competitive computer gaming usually played by paid professionals. It is an emerging entertainment market worth an estimated $1.5 billion and is comparable in size to many traditional sports, with audiences of tens, even hundreds, of millions of people worldwide. This one-day symposia seeks to build expertise between early career researchers, professional players, and industry experts who are interested in problematising the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of Esports. Sociological research on Esports has begun to highlight the precarious working conditions, such as temporary contracts and exploitative pay practices that characterise professional computer gaming. Similarly, early research into women and Esports suggests that these competitive gaming environments tend to reproduce ‘hegemonic masculinities’ which can leave women isolated and a structural disadvantage in terms of employment opportunities. At this moment, there is the need to launch fruitful and long-term collaborative research agendas to understand the nature of these issues, and establish the networks needed to bring about practical and sustainable social change. Papers and talks will be presented by academics, organisers, and campaigners, addressing a range of issues from exploitative labour practices, gender representation, social inclusion, as well as the challenges of studying player careers, and the complexities of different Esports ecologies.read more